EC’s work will be easier if parties pledge action against candidates violating polls code: CEC

Holding a free and fair parliamentary election will be easier for the Election Commission if the National Consensus Commission can get all political parties to promise they will take action against candidates for violating the electoral code of conduct, said Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin today (2 March).

"The Consensus Commission can take an initiative where they invite the political parties and ask them whether they truly want a fair and acceptable election. If they agree, then a written commitment should be taken from them stating that they will abide by the election code of conduct, take party-level action if their candidate engages in any misconduct, and fully cooperate to ensure a peaceful election," he said.

"If such a consensus is reached and a written commitment is obtained, there will be collective pressure on the parties to adhere to the code of conduct. This, I believe, would make our [EC's] task much easier," the CEC added as the chief guest at a rally marking the National Voter Day in front of Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka's Agargaon.

At the rally, the CEC unveiled the updated voter list of 12.37 crore people, an increase of 1.54% compared to last year. The number of voters has risen by 18.82 lakh this year. As of 2 March 2024, Bangladesh's voter population stands at 12.18 crore.

"In January, we initiated a door-to-door voter list update, and data entry is currently in progress," he said.

During his speech, Nasir mentioned that they have found a consensus on the subject of holding a free, fair, and participatory 13th national election.

"We did not need a commission to reach a consensus on this issue. No one said they do not want a free, fair, and participatory election," he added.

Talking about the vow that the EC has made to the country's people, Nasir said they do not have any other agenda than holding a free and fair election.

"Wherever I go, people look at me with expectations. The country's people have huge expectations from us, which makes me concerned about how to reach these expectations," he added.

Following his speech, the CEC officially inaugurated this year's National Voter Day at the vibrant rally this morning.

Election Commissioner Brigadier General (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah said another updated version of the voter list will be published by 30 June.

What is National Voter Day?

National Voter Day is an annual observance aimed at raising awareness about the importance of voting and encouraging citizen participation in the electoral process. Since 2018, the country has observed Voter Day on 2 March. 

The Election Commission has led the effort to organise events to educate people about their voting rights and responsibilities.

As per tradition, the final updated voter list is published on March 2 every year, coinciding with the observance of National Voter Day. However, this year's voter list updating process, which began on 20 January, is still ongoing.